/etc/makepkg.conf contains configuration options for make, makepkg and Gcc. This file is sourced, so you can include any special compiler flags you wish to use. This is helpful for building for different architectures, or with different optimizations. However, only the variables described below are exported to the build environment.

Note: This does not guarantee that all package Makefiles will use your exported variables. Some of them are non-standard.

The default file is fairly well commented, so it may be easiest to simply follow directions given there for customization.

OPTIONS

DLAGENTS=(protocol::/path/to/command [options] ...)

Sets the download agents used to fetch source files specified with a URL in the PKGBUILD file. Options can be specified for each command as well; the download URL is placed on the end of the command. This is more flexible than the former FTPAGENT variable, as any protocol can have a download agent. Several examples are provided in the default makepkg.conf.

CARCH=

Specifies your computer architecture; possible values include "i686" or "x86_64". This should be automatically set on installation.

CHOST=

A string such as "i686-pc-linux-gnu", do not touch unless you know what you are doing. This can be commented out by most users if desired.

CFLAGS=

Flags used for the C compiler. This is a key part to the use of makepkg. Usually several options are specified, and the most common string resembles something like this: "-march=i686 -O2 -pipe". Another useful option may be -mcpu in place of -march.

CXXFLAGS=

Flags used for the C++ compiler.

MAKEFLAGS=

This is often used to set the number of jobs used, for example, -j2. Typically, this is modified for SMP systems.

BUILDENV=(fakeroot !distcc color !ccache !xdelta)

This array contains options that affect the build environment, the defaults are shown here. All options should always be left in the array; to enable or disable an option simply remove or place an "!" at the front of the option. Each works as follows:

fakeroot

Allow building packages as a non-root user. This is highly recommended.

distcc

Use the distributed C/C++/ObjC compiler to spread compilation among multiple machines. If this is enabled, DISTCC_HOSTS must be specified as well.

color

Colorize output messages, making output easier to read.

ccache

Use ccache to cache compilation by default. This allows for faster compiles if you are continuously recompiling the same packages. It can be disabled for individual packages by placing !ccache in the PKGBUILD options array.

xdelta

Generate an xdelta binary patch from previous to current package. The previous package must be available in the makepkg cache directory for this to occur.

DISTCC_HOSTS="host1 ..."

If using DistCC, this is used to specify a space-delimited list of hosts running in the DistCC cluster. In addition, you will want to modify your MAKEFLAGS.

OPTIONS=(strip !docs libtool emptydirs)

This array contains options that affect the default packaging. All four are equivalent to options that can be placed in the PKGBUILD; the defaults are shown here. All options should always be left in the array; to enable or disable an option simply remove or place an "!" at the front of the option. Each works as follows:

strip

Strip symbols from binaries and libraries. If you frequently use a debugger on programs or libraries, it may be helpful to disable this option.

docs

Save doc and info directories. If you wish to delete doc and info directories, specify !docs in the array.

File integrity checks to use. Multiple checks may be specified; this affects both generation and checking. The current valid options are: md5, sha1, sha256, sha384, and sha512.

DOC_DIRS=(usr/{,share/}{info,doc} ...)

If "!docs" is specified in the OPTIONS array, this variable will instruct makepkg where to look to remove docs. If you build packages that are located in opt/, you may need to add the directory to this array. NOTE: Do not add the leading slash to the directory name.

PKGDEST="/path/to/folder"

If this value is not set, packages will by default be placed in the current directory (location of the PKGBUILD. Many people like to keep all their packages in one place so this option allows this behavior. A common location is "/home/packages".

SRCDEST="/path/to/folder"

If this value is not set, downloaded source files will only be stored in the current directory. Many people like to keep all source files in a central location for easy cleanup, so this path can be set here.

PACKAGER="John Doe <john@doe.com>"

This value is used when querying a package to see who was the builder. It is recommended you change this to your name and email address.

BUILDSCRIPT, PKGEXT, SRCEXT, DB_COMPRESSION, DB_CHECKSUMS

Do not touch these unless you know what you are doing.

MAKEFLAGS

Has an effect on how many jobs are passed for compilation; Generally -j2, plus 1 for each additional CPU/core. Optimizing for multiple cores can sometimes increase compiling performance, shortening compile times:

MAKEFLAGS="-j3"

(for a dual core CPU)

CFLAGS by architecture

Arch currently optimizes for i686 and x86-64 architectures. The default makepkg.conf CFLAGS are compatible with all machines within their architectures. The following CFLAGS are further isolated to CPU types. Further optimizing for CPU type can theoretically enhance performance for packages built with such optimizations, though such gains are probably not human-perceivable.